Eraser cleaners



1953 D. v. DE CESARE 2,862,339

ERASER CLEANERS Filed Oct. 11. 1957 United States Patent ERASER CLEANERS Dominic V. De Cesare, Elizabeth, N. J.

Application October 11, 1957, Serial No. 689,562

1 Claim. (Cl. 51-186) This invention relates to cleaners for typewriter erasers, as well as erasers for other purposes, and the main object of the invention is the provision of certain new and useful improvements in eraser cleaners whereby the convenience of the cleaner to the user as well as the simplicity and efliciency of the cleaner are substantially enhanced.

It is well known that repeated use of an eraser, and this is particularly true of typewriter erasers, results in the accumulation of smudge from previous erasures thereon. As a result, undesirable smudging of the paper frequently follows an erasure if the eraser is not kept clean. Ordinarily it is difficult to clean an eraser so that it is done too infrequently.

The eraser cleaner of the present invention not only provides means for cleaning the eraser but also provides convenient and handy stability to the cleaner so that the eraser may be quickly cleaned with the use of only one hand, that is, :the hand holding the eraser.

An additional object of the invention is therefore the provision of an eraser cleaner nested in a housing provided with means for securely attaching it to the edge of a typewriter table or desk, or any other horizontal support, readily at hand to be reached by the user.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of the eraser cleaner with a readily yieldable resilient cushion formed of rubber or other material of the same properties, the cushion being covered or coated with an abrasive, whereby not only the edges of the eraser are cleaned but also the sides thereof, thus providing a really complete cleaning of the eraser and eliminating the possibility of smudging.

The above as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details of construction shown except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an eraser cleaner embodying features of the present invention, attached to a table, desk or the like shown fragmentarily and partly in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the eraser cleaner.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral indicates an open box-like holder which although illustrated as rectangular in outline may of course be of any other shape. The 'holder consists of a bottom wall 11 having an enclosing wall or fence 12 surrounding the same.

2,862,339 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 ice 2 Of course the holder may be formed of a single sheet of material with the bottom wall 11 integral with the fence 12. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the bottom wall or floor 11 is made of a plate which is secured within and to the fence 12 by means of spaced nails or the like passed through holes 14 in the fence.

Removably nested in the holder 10 is a pad of relatively soft resilient material 15, which may be sponge or foam rubber or any other suitable material. The pad 15 is provided with a top layer 16 of abrasive material, or alternatively it may have a coating of abrasive material applied thereto. As illustrated in the drawing, the layer 16 is secured to the pad 15 by means of any suitable adhesive.

A clamp 17 is utilized to attach the device to a table, desk or the like 18. The clamp illustrated comprises a vertical arm attached to the holder 10 and provided with a horizontal extension or jaw 20 spaced below the holder. A screw 21 threaded through a hole 22 in the jaw 20 serves to tighten the holder down upon the table top in an obvious manner. If desired, a spring clamp, not shown, wherein the jaws are normally urged together by a spring, may be substituted for the clamp 17 with the holder 10 constituting one jaw of the clamp. The latter form of clamp, however, would not provide as great a stability to the holder while the latter is being used.

To clean an eraser, of which a circular type is shown at 23 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the latter is rubbed back and forth on the abrasive top 16 of the device, and owing to the resiliency of the pad 15 the pressure upon the eraser causes the pad and the layer 16 to be deformed after the fashion illustrated in Fig. 2 so that not only the circumferential edge of the eraser is cleaned but also the sides thereof adjacent the edge. The device of course functions in the same efficient manner in cleaning erasers of other than circular form.

With such a device attached to a desk or typewriter table adjacent the typist, it is obvious that the typist may easily and quickly clean the eraser With hardly any involvement of time, as frequently as desired.

, As it may be necessary from time to time, owing to wear, to replace the pad 15 with its abrasive surface 16, finger notches 24 are provided in opposite sides of the wall or fence 12. Preferably the top surface of the pad is made flush with the plane of the wall 12. The ready removability of the pad owing to the finger notches also permits of frequent cleaning of accumulated dust particles from the pad and its holder.

As a consequence of having the top surface of the abrasive-coated pad normally flush with the surrounding wall 12, as shown in Fig. l, and owing to the ready compressibility of the pad while the rubbing pressure and movement of the eraser are applied thereto, the surrounding wall prevents the eraser from running oflf the pad as it would do were the wall lower than the pad. Moreover, again owing to the ready yieldability of the pad, at the instant the eraser is brought to a stop by the Wall the pad thereunder will have a rounded depression following the curvature of the eraser, extending from the base of the eraser to the top of the wall, thus preventing too hard an impact with the wall and avoiding chipping or other damage to the eraser. The latter disadvantages would result if the top of the wall were higher than the top of the pad.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

An eraser cleaner comprising a box-like holder open at the top and including a flat bottom wall having a surrounding upright Wall, a pad of relatively soft rubber-like material registering in the holder within the confines of said wall, said pad having a layer of abrasive material on the top surface thereof, the height of the pad including said layer being equal to the internal depth of the holder so that the abrasive layer lies flush With the top of the wall, and means for attaching the holder in upright position to a support with said top surface uppermost.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Eastman Aug. 25, 1953 

